An apology from Ryanair

Well mince me in a grinder, cover me in salt, slap me between two slices of bread and call me an 'in-flight meal' but Ryanair have apologised to my Mother. I'll repeat that: Ryanair have *apologised* to my Mother...

Last week, I chronicled the treatment that Irish airline Ryanair had dished out to my 72-year-old mother, when they refused to give her a wheelchair at Pisa airport, citing their regulations about 24-hour advance booking.

Wound...

That entry then wound its way to The Village magazine and, a few phone calls and e-mails later, Ryanair promptly coughed up an apology. Which you can see, in its full technicolour glory, here...

First things first; my thanks to Ryanair for the apology. My mother was quite cheered by it. Not out of any sense of victory, but rather because an elderly woman takes some pleasure in being treated, not like an inconvenient piece of cattle, but like a human being.

However (and there's always a however...) I have to clear something up. Specifically what Ryanair said in their statement regarding the Pisa ground staff. The text of the piece in the Village magazine says:

'Peter Sherrard, head of communications for Ryanair, said the handling agents in Pisa should have readily been able to provide (Maureen Barry) with the assistance sought. He said he had spoken to the handling agents in Pisa to ensure that this does not happen again and apologised to Maureen Barry.'

Now, if Mr. Sherrard had read the original piece, (I can only assume that he hasn't) he would have noted that nowhere in that text did I, at any point, attempt to blame Pisa ground staff. I made it emphatically clear that this farcical episode was the result of Ryanair's absurd policies regarding accessibility to wheelchairs. To attempt to foist the blame on to the staff on the ground is disingenuous. Ryanair policy begins and ends with Ryanair.

Anyway, my thanks to Colin Murphy and Vincent Browne at the Village magazine. It's heartening to know that the combination of a humble blog and a tad of pressure from a journalist can force a super-corporation into apologising for it's behaviour. For those of you who might ask what the point in complaining is, I might also point you to the recent behaviour of Ireland's democratically elected leader and ask 'what's the point in voting?'.

Thanks

Thanks for reading and fear not, for we here at Blather shall return to our regular activities ('the fostering of graft and corruption in public life, the furtherance of cant and hypocrisy, the encouragement of humbug and hysteria and the glorification of gombeenism') sharpish-like.

Oh, and...

P.S. I went home to see my Mother and Father this week just gone (hence why this post was delayed) and flew with Aer Lingus. A truly trauma-less experience, the most notable aspect of which was last night when the lady at the Aer Lingus desk apologised for the delay in my scheduled flight and offered to (wait for it) compensate by putting me on an earlier plane. I'll say that again, they put me on an *earlier* plane...

All harmony restored.

Well done, Damien. Your success should ensure better travel standards for others.

i doubt it...

Aer Lingus in future for me then so.

Well done in prising at least a half arsed apology out of them.

Aer Lingus aint that much better, they seem to have caught o'learys disease in the service provision department.

Last time I flew with Aer Lingus they charged me for Beer and Hang Sangs, and the price of the ticket was still over twice the ryanair price.

as has been said a few times you get what you pay for, why pay more for the same bad service and contempt from a diferent airline.

and I wont get into why I think they put you on an earlier flight, but I doubt it was anything to do with them developing respect for their customers.

well podge, i suppose we all have different experiences of airlines. most of mine with ryanair have been bad. most with aer lingus have been good. most especially last week when i flew with them. i was spoken to like an adult and treated with some respect.

and besides, all airlines charge for sandwiches. which is why i always bring my own.

Glad to hear that RyanAir at least apologised to your mum!

Discount airlines are just not worth the bother at all. AirTran in the U.S. is similiar to RyanAir. One time my parents flew out to visit me, but had to be bumped to a different flight as their seats were not properly bolted to the airplane. Their seats!

what? how the hell could the seats not be properly bolted down? what were the flying in, a bi-plane?

Oh dear. Looks like Aer Lingus may not be an option in the future either.

Today's Guardian reports that Ryan Air are making a bid for Aer Lingus.

More here

It was a reg mid size commercial plane. My dad, being my dad, flopped himself down and the seat moved. Naturally he was a bit concerned. The airline gave both of them complimentary RT tickets for a future flight , but for some unexplained reason my parents have yet to use them.

Hey Damien,

Glad you stood up for your mother!

I also read about Michael O'Leary considering buying Aer Lingus, and the Sunday Independent today did point out, and I quote

"if he's successful it will lead to the bizarre situation where Mick O'Leary will be in competition with Mick O'Leary. Will he take out full-page newspaper ads slagging himself off?".

"nowhere in that text did I, at any point, attempt to blame Pisa ground staff"

Surely the airport staff could use a little bit of common sense and supply a wheel chair if they wanted to, regardless of RyanAir's policy. RyanAir don't OWN the airport....